Breaking Kayfabe 3-26-03

[Guest Grand Slam]

3-26-2003

 

Laptops are a wonderful invention. It is absolutely spectacular outside right now, and I am lucky enough to be sitting on my front porch with a cold beer (Bass this time) and the radio playing a Cubs spring training game as I type this. I love the spring! And considering the next show is in Dayton, Ohio I don't have to catch a plane until tomorrow morning. Wonderful!

 

I'm looking forward to the trip to Dayton. King and I will be staying at his place for a few days. It will be nice to see his parents again, good people. First off, King and I will be crashing a Smackdown viewing at one of his old friend's house then heading down to Cincinnati to check out some of the talent at Les Thatcher's school in Cincinnati on Friday. Saturday we've got tickets for a exhibition game in the Red's new ballpark, then it's back to his friend's place on Sunday to watch Wrestlemania. Then on Monday morning we have to get on a plane for Smarkdown. I always like meeting King's old friends, although it is a little weird for me to hear people calling him "Brian", because they remember him from a time before he appeared at the Academy and started his career in this business.

 

And speaking of TWA, it has been a good couple of months for the alumni. Of course, King and I are doing well here in the SWF. Our mentor HBK is putting on one heck of a feud with Jericho on Raw. And over on Smackdown one of the guys that King worked with after I left TWA, Brian Kendrick (aka Spanky), has been putting on really fun matches against the likes of Kurt Angle, Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore. As a matter of fact, last night King and I got the chance to watch a few matches from the extensive "Tom Flesher Archives", including a really good Spanky v. American Dragon (another TWA alum) match from Ring of Honor. Its like a Texas reunion!

 

Meanwhile, I was reading some of the "news" reports over at "sillyrumors.com" the other day when I ran across something that really frosted my noodle. This one cited a "reputable source behind the scenes" in saying that there is a lot of heat on certain guys in the locker room over some of the travel related difficulties (that resulted in some of the boys missing shows) right before the From the Fire Pay-Per-View and that is why we are cutting back on the number of PPV's a year. Something about "less PPV's mean less big payouts for the talent". What a bunch of crap. While we are cutting back on the number of PPV's a year, it has far more to do with the new TV schedule than any "heat" on the boys. Good grief. I guess in the absence of real news, the good ol' IWC will make it up. My personal favorite of the last couple of years was when the same dirtsheet started calling me, King, Thugg, Edwin and X "The Kliq" and saying that we were holding guys like ELM, Sacred and Fallout back and being a cancer in the locker room. Ludicrous.

 

Sorry about that...

 

So I watched the replay of "From the Fire" and I am convinced that this is quietly becoming one of the premiere SWF events on the calendar, right up there with Clusterf*ck and Genesis. For some reason, it seems like the boys really pull out all the stops for this one year in and year out. I have a feeling that when the SWF Awards 2003 roll around this PPV will be well represented.

 

Congratulations to both Mak Francis and Danny Williams for that breakthrough match we knew was lurking in the both of them. Here's to a long title reign for the Franchise and bigger and better things for Danny.

 

Oh, and one last thing before I sign off... I was making some pretty grim statements a while back about the state of our industry and, more specifically, the state of the SWF. I take them all back. My enthusiasm for and faith in this company was born again at From the Fire. Bases Loaded has been slowly ramping up and ever since Z started stopping by to help out, we've been able to increase the class size to something profitable. Lynn is finally here in the Windy City and settling into her new job. Chris got over whatever stomach problem he was having and I just signed a contract to do a commercial for Pepsi Max, my very first endorsement for our primary sponsor. It is this kind of a month that reminds me why I got into this business in the first place.

 

So, keep swinging for the fences...

 

- "Grand Slam" Mark Stevens

[Guest Beingz0wningj00]

A good read... but you should include injury reports and stuff like that!

 

The Stevens Report.

 

*gives him the black cowboy hat*

[Guest HVilleThugg]

I read this!!!

 

Da "just so you know" H

 

+1

[Guest Ace309]

I read all of these, and the way that GSMS incorporates actual "behind the scenes" stuff just cracks me up.

 

As a matter of fact, last night King and I got the chance to watch a few matches from the extensive "Tom Flesher Archives", including a really good Spanky v. American Dragon (another TWA alum) match from Ring of Honor. Its like a Texas reunion!

 

For those who don't know, I'm in the habit of trying to impose my tastes on everyone. I send matches around on AIM and in chat constantly, and recently I sent out a couple of sets of CDs of match videos to people who are on 56k and therefore can't get matches easily on the net. I was just really, really amused by this quote.

[Guest Suicide King]

Matches on CD are good. Tom Flesher gave me some. Tom Flesher got a title shot this week. Coincidence?

 

Well, yeah actually.

[Guest Ace309]

Pfft. I sent them to LDP, too, and you don't see me tearing up the JL.

[Guest Longdogger_Pete]

Not yet, anyway.

[Guest Coffin Surfer]

Too bad most of my fav. matches don't seem to be available on online, nor would I even bother to download them since I have them on tape. Oh well, if anybody comes across it, Ohtani vs. Samurai 8/96 is my knew fav. match, and should be required viewing.

 

Not only do they ripoff Kawada/Albright, they make it 10 times better, in addition to working so stiff both guys bleed and swell up hard way while adding in a dramatic fighting for my father's love subplot. Great stuff.